Review of the Daido Juku (Kudo) seminar 11/21/2006:

My review of the Daido Juku (Kudo) seminar:

(This part was lead by Azuma)
The seminar was run pretty much like an ordinary class would be run. So it was about 20 minutes of warmups. Including front kicks in a forward (zenkutsu dachi), side kicks, and round kicks.

Then basic combinations in a fighting stance. After each set we did a little stretching or jumping to shake out our limbs. During this Azuma corrected little things people were doing doing wrong, mostly people with little to no striking experience. He even went as far as to work with rsobrien's girlfriend on the side, who has no MA experience at all. Then we had a five minute break to drink water or whatever.

(This was part was lead by Igarashi Yuji)
Then we worked basic footwork, basically combinations moving forward and backwards. The footwork drills were very basic, just moving fowards, sideways and backwards, just stressing staying on the balls of you feet. It didn't have a particular feel to it ie boxnig, or Enshin footwork where we would work in getting inside or getting off to an angle. I don't think the simplicity of the footwork is a flaw in the style, it was just time constraints of the seminar.

(Lead by Azuma)
Then we paired up and worked combinations that ended in a takedown (Similar to Enshin) I believe the first technique was a sacrifice hip throw off a hook.

Second was rear trip off a caught round kick then a calf crusher or a calf lock, I don't know the name of the submission. He then showed us the heel hook, because he said some people don't feel the first submission.

We then did a collar choke from mount, I forget from what technique we got into mount (mosty likely a takedown, not the usual guardpass) Then the armbar from mount.

During this Azuma, Igarashi Yuji, and the other Daido Juku blackbelts, went around helping people with the various techniques.

Overall I liked the seminar, even though it seemed very similar to an Enshin class. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see what made Daido Juku different than other KK styles. ie the Space helmets, head butts etc. That was until the Kudo greenbelt had rsobrien put on the helmet and punched him in the head. I put on the helmet and was shown how they do a head butt.

Yes, Igarashi Yuji is a fighter. Now the bad news is I don't think will be Kudo dojo opening any time soon, at least not in NYC. I think they'd have a a lot better turnout if the seminar was held in New Jersey, and a better result if they opened a school. But the good news is we have a Kudo greenbelt, who lives in the city and he willing to train with most anybody. That's really good because I'm really looking for some hardcore karate right now.

Based on what Azuma said to us at end of night. His view and philosophy pretty much sums that training formula up...Rely on striking but cover grappling in case fight goes to ground however in real street fight. You have friends, they have friends so it turns into brawl and it'll stay striking unless it's one on one fight situation which is rare.

The biggest difference being that in KK curriculum does not cover grappling aspect.

However, off-shoots from KK like Enshin and Kudo...well the one of the factors that led to them splitting was that Joko Ninomiya and Azuma Takashi wanted knockdown kararate incorporating Judo. That alone would make Enshin and Kudo be similiar so it may have been more similiar in your eyes since you have Enshin background.

In my view, the thing that made it really different is the duration of training and sparring. They took it easy on us and also we didn't train that long compared to their normal training hours. Plus they came from JFK straight to training with us. We did it for about maybe 90 min? They do it for 120-180 min. At the sametime, the big difference is also the sparring. Which we didn't do for obvious reasons.

From our very limited time with them, I did notice that all their grappling were pretty much purely Judo based and takedown were not incorporated toward no-gi. For example, when they taught us to throw a hook into headlock and go into koshi guruma or o goshi...I thought it would've been better to throw body uppercut into underhook instead of hook to headlock.

The takedown you were talking about where 1-2s were being thrown and we ducked under one and then spun to side for takedown into mount, sidemount, or armbar is variation of tani otoshi. In that situation, I thought it would've been better to just shoot in after ducking a jab or cross. That takedown would work too but I thought shoot would be higher % sucess and less risky.

Biggest aspect I enjoyed and learned a lot was they definitly mixed KK and Judo so it flows. I never participated in Enshin so I assume it's similiar in that sense.

I can learn a lot from Kudo since one of my biggest problem was incorporating Judo more into my striking and flow it into use my takedown.